Thread: Janjalani dead, FBI DNA tests confirm

U.S. Elated Over Janjalani’s Death
The U.S. government has congratulated the Arroyo administration for the death of Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani. In a statement, the U.S. embassy in Manila called Janjalani’s death a “step forward” in the fight against terror.


U.S. Embassy News Release
January 20, 2007

U.S. CONGRATULATES THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
ON THE ELMINATION OF ABU SAYYAF GROUP LEADER
KHADDAFY JANJALANI

The United States congratulates the Government of the Philippines on confirmation that the leader of the terrorist organization Abu Sayyaf Group, Khaddafy Janjalani, has been killed. Remains found on the island of Jolo in Sulu province in December 2006 have been proven by forensic and DNA tests conducted in the Philippines and the United States to be those of the terrorist leader. This is a major step forward in the fight against terrorism in the Philippines and in the global war on terror.

Janjalani has been pursued by the Philippines and the United States for his involvement in several terrorist attacks, kidnappings and murders. The Abu Sayyaf Group is designated by the U.S. as a Foreign Terrorist Group, and has been responsible for numerous terrorist bombings, murders and kidnappings, including the 2001 Dos Palmas kidnapping incident that resulted in the deaths of two American citizens.

A reward of up to $5 million has been offered by the U.S. Government for information leading to the capture or elimination of Khaddafy Janjalani. The U.S. will work with Philippine authorities to determine payment of this reward.

The death of Khaddafy Janjalani is an important and positive step forward in the ultimate goal of eliminating the ruthless and dangerous Abu Sayyaf Group, and in destroying its links with international terrorist groups such as the Jemaah Islamiya. The U.S. will continue to work with partners in the Philippines’ military, law enforcement, and national and local governments to bring terrorists to justice and to build peace and prosperity in Mindanao and throughout the Philippines.


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Philippine security officials see no strong successor to slain al-Qaida-linked leader
The Associated PressPublished: January 21, 2007
Philippine security officials see no strong successor to slain al-Qaida-linked leader - International Herald Tribune
MANILA, Philippines: The death of the Philippines' most-wanted terror suspect leaves his al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group with no strong successor, security officials said Sunday.

The likely candidates include a one-armed commander hobbled by arthritis and another who has never traveled much beyond the mountains of two local islands.

Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon announced on Saturday that Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani had been killed in a clash with troops four months ago, citing results from DNA testing done by U.S. authorities.

The announcement came four days after U.S.-backed Philippine troops killed senior Abu Sayyaf commander Abu Sulaiman, Janjalani's sidekick and possible successor.

Their deaths delivered a major blow to the Abu Sayyaf because they acted as the main contacts to Indonesian militants and Middle Eastern financiers, who have helped provide badly needed funding and combat training, said Romeo Ricardo, the chief of the national police's Intelligence Group.

Targeted by a massive U.S.-backed offensive, more than 300 surviving Abu Sayyaf guerrillas would likely split into smaller groups to better evade troops and may take time to choose a permanent leader, Ricardo and the military say.

A lifeline could be top Indonesian terror suspects Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who are believed to be still on Jolo and could help the militants choose a new leader. They could continue to provide combat and bomb-making training and link the group with foreign financiers, the military said.

A list of Abu Sayyaf commanders that the military and police say may end up as Janjalani's successor, provided by a military official and a police official who both requested anonymity because they're not authorized to talk to the media:

RADULAN SAHIRON: A one-armed Muslim rebel commander in his 70s based in the forested mountains of Patikul on southern Jolo island. An ex-commander of the Moro National Liberation Front, a Muslim rebel group which signed a 1996 peace accord with the government, Sahiron is the Abu Sayyaf's most senior fighter.

However, he lacks Janjalani's extensive local and foreign contacts and has often been hoisted atop a horse in recent years because of his many illnesses, including arthritis and diabetes. Washington has offered a US$200,000 reward for his capture.

ISNILON HAPILON: Another former MNLF commander based in Lantawan on southern Basilan island. He is believed to have from 20-30 armed men. He was last monitored with Janjalani on Jolo last year. He gained notoriety by helping Janjalani carry out major attacks, including the kidnapping of three Americans and 17 mostly Filipino tourists from a resort island in 2001. One of the Americans was beheaded and another was killed during an army rescue.

Hapilon, in his 40s or 50s, is a rural-based fighter who has not ventured much beyond the mountains of Basilan and Jolo. He is believed to have crude bomb-making skills but is proficient with guns. Washington has offered a reward of up to US$5 million for his capture.

ABU PULA: A former MNLF rebel based in Jolo's mountainous Indanan with an estimated 50 to 70 armed followers. He is called by some as "Dr. Abu" because of his purported ability to perform crude treatments on wounded guerrillas and ailing villagers.

Pula, believed to be in his 50s, is not known to have extensive local and foreign militant contacts but he reportedly harbored Dulmatin and Patek for several months in his mountain stronghold last year. The U.S. has offered a reward of US$100,000 for his capture.

Is this the reason why the insurgents/ terrorist made such a noise about US troops being active in combat when the Philippines constitution prevents it so?

Is this the reason why the insurgents/ terrorist made such a noise about US troops being active in combat when the Philippines constitution prevents it so?

America has conducted joint training drills with the AFP in the warzones. In fact American helicopters have conducted gun runs on ASG positions. Americans are not allowed to engage in offensive actions but they are allowed to act in their defense.

Troung,

What is the flag under "Country" that you are flying?

Aren't you a Moro?

Or am I mistaken and it someone else?

Or is it that you know the Philippines insurgency well?

Outside the CENTCOM AoR, but I used to chase this guy when I worked for SOCOM.

Good goin', Flips; nice 'get'.

US military provides intelligence and the same time share equipment to our poor-equipped military..And upon this confirmation is a good start to eliminate the ASG in our country..

A last extended interview with Janjalani - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

A last extended interview with Janjalani


By Octavio A. Dinampo
Inquirer
Last updated 02:14am (Mla time) 01/22/2007


[EDITOR’S NOTE: With the confirmed death of Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy A. Janjalani, what is believed to be his last extended interview, conducted by Octavio A. Dinampo, a professor of Mindanao State University (MSU)-Sulu, on Feb. 27, 2006, somewhere in the hinterlands of Basilan, is being “declassified,” as it were. It is part of some field research undertaken by the South-South Network (SSN) for Non-State Armed Group Engagement in preparation for a coming comprehensive book on Philippine armed groups. It was made available to the Philippine Daily Inquirer by SSN Regional Focal Point for Asia and occasional Inquirer contributor Soliman M. Santos Jr. It provides a leader’s insider view of the Abu Sayyaf, an insight into its origins, its nature, its thinking, its jihad (struggle), and even its prospects, relevant even after the recent deaths of Janjalani and other Abu Sayyaf leaders. The interview was conducted wholly in Tausug and translated into English by Dinampo himself, then slightly edited by Santos but was unexpurgated.]

OCTAVIO A. DINAMPO (OD): I am Octah Dinampo, teaching at MSU-Sulu and currently engaged by the South-South Network (SSN) to conduct a research on the theme “The Abu Sayyaf -- Rebel, Bandit, or Terrorist?”

Khadaffy A. Janjalani (KJ): Whew, that’s a big deal, indeed. Is it a government project?

OD: No, this is an NGO matter, they want to establish the truth about your organization.

KJ: That’s good if like that. Now, how can I be of service?

OD: Foremost, we would like to know direct from you about the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). From the very beginning as much as possible.

KJ: The late ustadz (scholar of certain status -- referring to his elder brother and ASG founder Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani) was a man who desired nothing other than becoming religious and having peace in the homeland. Proof of this, his education dwelt not only on life mundane, but also on life spiritual, until he became a teacher in the madrasah (Muslim school). But the problem, the oppressive soldiers had committed so much abuses in Basilan then, that he was compelled to also take the cudgels of calling attention to these during khutbah (lecture), classroom instruction, and other assemblies.

Such activities earned him the ire of the military. The ulama (religious scholars) were worried until they decided to defuse the threat by sending him to study Arabic and Islamic studies abroad. Fortunately, even the religious sector of the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) helped to find a scholarship slot for him in Libya until he became a member of the MNLF, heading its da’wah (Islamic propagation) movement.

OD: You mean, he became a member of the MNLF only when he was already abroad in Libya?

KJ: Yes. The truth is, however, he’s one who did not like it that the oppressive government would fool the MNLF time and again, talking here and there, agreeing on so many things just to end in betrayal. This is one big reason why the late ustadz left the MNLF and established his own organization upon return to the Philippines.

OD: So when did he establish the ASG?

KJ: When he returned in mid-1989, he buckled down to work immediately on his da’wah activities and at the same time established al-Harakatul al-Islamiyyah (Islamic Movement) as a vehicle to be used once more for hulah (homeland), bangsa (nation) and agama (religion), i.e. an independent country, national identity and most of all Islam -- meaning, an Islamic state for the Bangsamoro (Moro nation).

OD: Why, what about the MNLF? I believe they have the same objectives.

KJ: The late emir (leader -- referring to Abdurajak) believed that since the OIC (Organization of the Islamic Conference) interfered with the Moro right to self-determination, independence was lost forever in favor of the so-called autonomy. Proof is, up to now, nothing came out of that autonomy option. Meaning, my elder brother was correct and justified in his stance.

OD: How come al-Harakatul al-Islamiyyah became ASG?

KJ: Abu Sayyaf was the nom de guerre of my late brother. He copied it from Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, an Afghan mujahideen (fighters for jihad) who became famous for his practice of beheading traitors to the Taliban—whether Muslim or Christian. Much later, we were infiltrated by government spies. Then, because our boys beheaded our enemies that deserve beheading, the Marines under General (Guillermo) Ruiz called us ASG --perhaps referring to us as the “group of beheaders.”

OD: Why did you not contradict such a misnomer?

KJ: It is not important what we are known as or called, what matters is our intent or objective.

OD: Well, perhaps that’s what you think, but the world now knows you as a bunch of “terrorists.”

KJ: Bandit, pirate, terrorist -- they are all the same for us.

OD: Are you admitting now that ASG is a terrorist organization?

KJ: Not what they mean. We are mujahideen, albeit a bit brutal since we don’t distinguish oppressive soldiers from its public or citizenry -- they are generally our enemies. And we cannot soften up or become friends even with Arabs (e.g. in the OIC) if they are in league with our enemies.

OD: Why, what’s so different with the groups of Jamal Khalifa or Ramzi Yousef (personalities linked to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda) that you befriended them?

KJ: Jamal Khalifa was a philanthropist who helped Moro and other mujahideen in this world. Our friendship with them is dictated by necessity, convenience and the need to help one another. They needed at that time volunteers for Afghanistan, while we need money to buy arms, ammunition and other necessities to fight the oppressive government. Ramzi Yousef came later through Khalifa. We reciprocated their assistance by providing them volunteers, to include our visit to Afghanistan.

OD: What assistance did they provide you?

KJ: They gave us P6 million, if I’m not mistaken.

OD: That means you bought your firearms here locally? From where and who facilitated?

KJ: Yes. There was no problem buying guns then due to the plentiful supply from either gun smugglers, Recom (Philippine National Police Regional Command) or Southcom (Armed Forces of the Philippines Southern Command), soldiers who badly need cash. The late Asmad and Ed facilitated the purchases.

OD: Who were these Asmad and Ed you mentioned?

KJ: Asmad Abdul was from Tawi-Tawi and a pioneering member. Then Edwin Angeles was your provincemate from Sulu. He joined us after our return from Afghanistan.

OD: Why, where was al-Harakatul al-Islamiyyah (ASG) established? Why were there pioneers from Sulu and Tawi-Tawi?

KJ: Initially, we sat down in Isabela, the three Janjalani brothers (Abdurajak, Hector and Khadaffy) with Wahab Akbar (Basilan governor). Then, after two weeks or so, we again sat down with Asmad, Tuan Awliya and the nephew of Sir Bruno (Juvenal Bruno).

OD: Is the view accurate that the ASG was a creation of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) or the AFP?

KJ: To repeat, our organization is al-Harakatul al-Islamiyyah, not ASG. If they refer to their own ASG, that may be true. But if they refer to al-Harakatul al-Islamiyyah, that’s a lie.

OD: Is it allowable for mujahideen to kidnap? On what basis?

KJ: Whether philosophically or religiously, it is allowed. There is basis for kidnappings. Philosophically, if it is allowed to kill the enemy, why not allow to just kidnap him? Religiously, no less than the Prophet of Islam who gave the order to kidnap or seize the caravan of Abu Suffian, isn’t it? So, what is the difference of kidnapping or seizure then and now?

OD: What you are talking about I suppose is kidnapping the enemy, not civilians or noncombatants?

KJ: The enemy is not to be distinguished as to whether they are armed or not. In fact, many of our casualties were our civilians, not mujahideen. Why is it allowed for the oppressive soldiers and prohibited for us?

OD: Is it true that al-Harakatul al-Islamiyyah was created in order to undermine the MNLF?

KJ: As I said before, if you are talking of al-Harakatul al-Islamiyyah, it is not true. As a matter of fact, we even wanted to serve as one of the pillars of the MNLF, thus explaining why so many former MNLF commanders were taken in by al-Harakatul al-Islamiyyah. If there is a slight gap, it is in the means of achieving the purpose -- for us, it’s independence; for the MNLF, it’s autonomy.

OD: Is it true you have links with the al-Qaeda of Osama bin Laden or Jemaah Islamiyah?

KJ: We don’t even know Bin Laden or any leader of JI, how can we have links? What’s true is that we have some JI field operatives with us who go with us anywhere. We actually don’t mind who they are provided; they are willing to be our helping hands and follow our way of doing things here, we cannot be choosy.

OD: So that confirms that there are many DPAs (deep penetration agents) infiltrating your rank and file?

KJ: In the recent past, yes. But almost all were gone now consequent to their action and deed. They thought live bullets recognize targets. The few who remain are anyway marked.

OD: How is your organization since you assumed leadership up to now?

KJ: I did not actually expect that I will be their emir. But when my brother (Abdurajak) passed away and Ka Hector was in jail, that compelled me to shoulder the burden. Fortunately, nothing changed, we are still steadfast in fulfilling the trust he left us.

OD: Why is there seemingly a decrease in the number of kidnappings since you assumed leadership?

KJ: There are many reasons but it should not be told here since it constitutes a military secret. For now, suffice it to say, we are still ever vigilant in fighting the enemy.

OD: How are your comrades-in-arms in Sulu?

KJ: I think you know how good and strong they are in Sulu. And it is customary for us to break up into several autonomous groupings for as long as it is agreed beforehand.

OD: Is there anything you can add to what was said already?

KJ: I believe it’s all said and we are still monitoring the events in Manila. (This was right after the Feb. 24 & 26 “coup attempts,” where the military mainly had its attention.)

OD: Thank you so much for your time. What you’ve clarified would be very helpful.

KJ: Thank you too. We pray it will be put to good use, what we told thus far.

Janjalani's voice drew Marines to him - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Janjalani's voice drew Marines to him


By Arlyn dela Cruz
Inquirer
Last updated 02:14am (Mla time) 01/22/2007


IT WAS NOT A GLOBAL positioning device (GPS) or some other sophisticated monitoring equipment that finally ended the run of Khadaffy Janjalani.

Janjalani’s own voice in the early hours of Sept. 4, 2006, as he sang and prayed hymns from the Koran led to the discovery of his hiding place in the jungles of Sulu province.

But it was the instinct of a young lieutenant to immediately attack that delivered the deadly clincher, ending the long and costly hunt for the mysterious Abu Sayyaf chieftain.

At least, that was the view from the side of the hunters -- given by the soldiers who had been deployed in Sulu to hunt down the Abu Sayyaf and their Jemaah Islamiyah allies.

When the Marine reconnaissance platoon led by 2nd Lt. Romulo Dimayuga chanced upon a small group of armed men resting in hammocks in the forests of Upper Tanum in Indanan town, they had no idea that among that group was the country’s most wanted Abu Sayyaf leader.

Dimayuga said he could not forget the distinct, plaintive voice rising from the midst of the group. The man sounded like he was singing and praying while everyone else was asleep, or just resting and listening to him.

The lieutenant, fresh from the Philippine Military Academy and out on his first field assignment, could not tell for sure if the hymn he was hearing in those wee hours of morning was in Arabic or Tausug.

“I can’t understand Arabic and Tausug. All I was thinking at the time was that, maybe, he was the one in charge because it was early morning, almost 5 o’clock, and he could afford to make noise,” Dimayuga recounted in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer the other day.

“It struck me that whoever he was, he must have been somebody who could afford to make such a noise without being reprimanded or stopped.”

Close quarters combat

Using his night-vision goggles, Dimayuga said he could see that some of the men had awakened and had started to prepare breakfast.

He had no idea what Janjalani looked like and the man who was singing had his head bowed, as though he was reading lyrics from a small book.

Only five meters separated Dimayuga’s men and the armed group.

“We could have waved at each other,” Dimayuga recalled. “A few movements and our bodies would have bumped. That was how close we were, so we had to make a quick decision.”

Attack begins

Being the platoon leader, Dimayuga said his instinct told him he should waste no time. Quietly, he signaled his men to start throwing grenades in the direction of the voice, at the men in the hammocks.

The grenade blasts were followed by volumes of fire from Dimayuga’s troops. Roused from their sleep, the surprised group answered with their own fire.

Sense of panic

“There was heavy firing from them. They were used to close quarters combat. Immediately, there were wounded on our side,” Dimayuga said.

Six of Dimayuga’s men, all on their first field assignments like him, died in the exchange.

Then they heard the distinct voice again, this time issuing commands in a language that Dimayuga and his men could not understand, and assumed it was either Tausug or Arabic.

The cries that came from the voice seemed to create panic among the armed group.

Bullet silences the voice

Then the man stood up.

In seconds, a bullet struck him in the neck and he fell instantly.

As snipers, Dimayuga’s men had been trained to aim at specific targets. Who exactly fired the shot that cut down Janjalani, Dimayuga could not tell for sure.

“I can’t really tell whose bullet hit him fatally since it was still dark when we started the attack,” Dimayuga said.

Reinforcements come

Suddenly, Dimayuga had a sense that he and his men had been surrounded by a bigger group that seemed to have come from nowhere to help their besieged comrades.

Dimayuga was wounded by the firing from the reinforcements.

He said the size of the new group gave him a hint that he and his men must have chanced upon a really important personality.

“The way they retaliated indicated that they had suffered a great loss, but at that moment, we had no idea who it was.”

DNA test

Dimayuga was in Ternate, Cavite, undergoing yet another training, when the Inquirer newspaper reached him on Saturday and broke to him the news: The results of a DNA test taken from a body which the Marines had dug up in the jungle showed that the man they took out with a bullet in the neck was the “emir” (commander or chief) of the country’s fiercest bandit group -- a man linked to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network.

He received the news calmly -- and with pride. The confirmation of Janjalani’s death, he said, brought honor to his platoon.

A worthy cause

“It also meant that the death of my fellow Marines and the wounding of 16 others were for a great cause,” he said.

Did he think Janjalani’s death would put an end to the Abu Sayyaf threat?

Dimayuga said the Abu Sayyaf might take a while to find a successor to Janjalani, but he was certain someone would eventually take over.

Is he willing to be deployed in Sulu again to go after the remaining Abu Sayyaf members?

“Yes, if I am ordered to go back,” he said. “I am a soldier; it’s my duty to fight.”

‘Gateway to Heaven’

Dimayuga was a member of the First Recon Class 12 trained specifically to hunt Janjalani and his band. The platoon was trained by Recon Marine head Maj. Robert Velasco, who was among the first Marine officers that fought the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan in 1993.

When Dimayuga and his men first arrived in Sulu, they had reported to 3rd Marine Brigade Commander Brig. Gen. Juancho Sabban -- an intelligence and tactical officer that overran the first camp of the Abu Sayyaf in Upper Kapayawan, Isabela.

That camp was called Al-Madinah. It meant “Gateway to Heaven.”

Battle was won by 27 Marines vs 200 Abus - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Battle was won by 27 Marines vs 200 Abus


By Dona Pazzibugan
Inquirer
Last updated 03:01am (Mla time) 01/24/2007


THEY NUMBERED only a little over two dozen, some of them were already dead and most of the rest were wounded. About 200 Abu Sayyaf bandits were closing in on them.

But the young Marines were united by one resolve: There would be no retreat, they would go down together.

“I looked to my side, one of my men was dead. On my other side, one was wounded. Behind me, someone had blood gushing from his face,” 2nd Lt. Romulo Dimayuga said yesterday, recalling the battle in Sulu province last Sept. 4 in which his men killed top Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani.

“But (our) will to fight was unmatchable. Even though wounded, we were firing back,” the platoon leader of the 27-man elite Marine Force Reconnaissance Class 12 told reporters.

Despite the overwhelming force his platoon faced, Dimayuga said he and his men never considered retreating.

“We held the line. We could not retreat because we were going to leave many behind. I will not leave any Marines behind,” he said.

“We agreed that whatever happened, if it was going to end here, we’d go down together.”

The 24-year-old Dimayuga stared ahead unblinking as he spoke.

Pfc. Jovelito Manalili, 26, who served as navigator, said his unit was very close-knit, its members having known each other for some time before they started a nine-month rigorous training.

Heavy price

Six of Dimayuga’s men died in the pre-dawn clash in Patikul town in Sulu. But the Abu Sayyaf paid dearly for testing the Marines’ mettle.

A post-battle military report said 67 Abu Sayyaf bandits were killed in that encounter, including Janjalani.

It was the first time that Class 12 had suffered casualties since it was deployed to Sulu last Aug. 1, fresh from graduation.

Dimayuga said it was a “great honor” for the platoon to have killed Janjalani but he expressed sadness at the death of his six fellow Marines.

“Their deaths were not in vain because it had a very positive outcome, we got the leader of the Abu Sayyaf,” he simply said.

Those who were killed were Cpl. Ryan Socrates, team leader; Cpl. Judy Gatan, team leader; Pfc. Isagani Zamora, gunner; Jayson Paiton, point man; Harold Almodovar, radio man, and Gilbert Parcia, assistant team leader.

Sixteen members of the platoon were wounded, including Dimayuga and Manalili.

One soldier is still in the hospital requiring major surgery for a splintered bone in the arm.

The death of Janjalani, whose bandit group had been linked by the United States to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network, was confirmed only last week following DNA tests conducted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The tests matched samples taken from the remains dug up in Barangay Kabuntakas in Patikul, some 2 km from the battle site, with saliva samples taken from Janjalani’s brother Hector, who is serving a life term for kidnapping.

Dimayuga, who graduated from the Philippine Military Academy in 2005, said his unit tracked down Janjalani’s camp based on intelligence information provided to the 3rd Marine Brigade under Brig. Gen. Juancho Sabban.

Threat remains

Dimayuga showed no interest in the idea of a movie being made out of his platoon’s feat.

“I will let higher-ups decide on that,” he said.

Amid military claims that the killing of Janjalani could signal the end of the bandit group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front yesterday said Janjalani’s death was not a guarantee that there would be peace in the south.

“It appears that Janjalani still has supporters at large. So, the problem with them remains,” MILF spokesperson Eid Kabalu told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

But Kabalu conceded that Janjalani’s death was a setback for the Abu Sayyaf and could deter those intending to join the group.

Kabalu also said the MILF central committee had agreed to help in the crackdown on the Abu Sayyaf and that MILF chair Ebrahim Murad had directed his men to deny the group sanctuary.

US role

In Malacañang, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the military’s success against the Abu Sayyaf was “in part due to the fact that (its) lair is becoming smaller because our grasp on peace in Mindanao and Southern Philippines has become wider.”

She also said the victories against the bandit group showed the success of the training and intelligence programs that the Philippines had received from the United States.

But some analysts said that remnants and “sleeper cells” of the Abu Sayyaf still posed a major threat.

Ricardo Blancaflor, a senior official with the government’s Anti-Terrorism Task Force, cautioned against complacency, saying surviving Abu Sayyaf members could regroup under a different command.

“We cannot discount sleeper cells,” Blancaflor said.

John Harrison, head of terrorism research at Singapore’s S. Rajanatram School of International Studies, warned: “Even if no one takes over, it will fragment again and you will have bandits and perhaps more hardline terrorist cells.” With reports from Christine O. Avendaño, Edwin O. Fernandez, Jeoffrey Maitem, Inquirer Mindanao, and Agence France-Presse



Copyright 2007 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AFP to honor Dimayuga with Medal of Valor
Monday, January 22 2007 @ 04:17 PM GMT

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The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Monday said a Medal of Valor might be conferred on a Marine officer who led a fierce gun battle with Abu Sayyaf terrorists that led to the killing of the group’s chieftain, Khadaffy Janjalani.

In a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, AFP public information office chief Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said a military board is considering 1Lt. Romulo Dimayuga with the highest combat medal in the military establishment.

The Medal of Valor is conferred on officers who have displayed “heroism” in combat. It entails a number of perks, including a P20,000 monthly allowance and free education of the awardee’s children.

“It's possible, there is a board deliberating on it,” said Bacarro when asked if award that would be given to Dimayuga is the Medal for Valor. The second highest combat medal is Distinguished Conduct Star while the third is Gold Cross Medal.

Dimayuga, along with 18 other Marines, was wounded in the more than two hours of skirmishes with more or less 200 Abu Sayyaf men last Sept. 4 in the thickly forested Patikul town in Sulu. The clash also left six Marines dead.

In his hospital bed, Dimayuga has said his platoon got four meters near the terrorists before simultaneously throwing grenades before unleashing heavy volume of fire on the group of Janjalani, who had barely finished saying a morning prayer.

Military officials claimed at least 30 Abu Sayyaf terrorists died in that clash while Janjalani was initially reported as wounded, along with Jemaah Islamiyah bomber Omar Patek based on information from civilians.

On Dec. 27, four Abu Sayyaf surrenderees led Marine soldiers to a grave site in Tumatangis village in Patikul town where they supposedly buried the body of Janjalani, who they said died as a result of the Sept. 4 clash.

American experts later took tissue samples on the cadaver and compared it with those of Janjalani’s brother, Hector, who is incarcerated at a police detention facility in Metro Manila for kidnapping charges.

On Saturday, Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. confirmed the death of Janjalani, citing the results of the DNA test conducted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. He said the test was “conclusive” and “complete.”

“Due recognition will be given to those who have initiated this actions against Janjalani, which eventually led to the neutralization of Janjalani,” said Bacarro, referring to Dimayuga and his unit.

“It is inherent upon the Armed Forces of the Philippines to give due recognition where recognition is due…That (type of award) would depend to the board, there is a board that would determine the merit of his actions but definitely, one thing is sure *that he would be given due recognition,” he added of Dimayuga.

After confirming Janjalani’s death last Saturday, Esperon said the officers and men involved in the operation may be given spot promotion. “We will give spot promotions where it is deserved…Where promotions are deserved, it will be given, where awards are deserved, it will be given.”

Meanwhile, Bacarro said it would be up to the US to award the million bounty for the neutralization of Janjalani. He said the military will just assist US officials in their investigation who deserves to be given the reward.

“There is process under the reward system…and this process would be a tedious process and the agency involved in this, if ever anyone qualifies, would be the US government. The Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police would collaborate and cooperate with the US government because they are the ones who will give the reward,” he said.

Meanwhile, the military is training its sight on the last three remaining senior leaders of the Abu Sayyaf *Radullan Sahiron, Isnilon Hapilon and Dr. Abu Pula. There are reports that Sahiron has taken over the leadership of Janjalani following the latter’s death.

“The instruction of CS (chief of staff) is for our soldiers to step up operations against these high value targets,” said Bacarro. Sahiron and Dr. Abu Pula are based in Sulu while Hapilon is based in Basilan.

“As we have said before, the objective of Oplan Ultimatum is to get the high value targets, meaning to say we are running after these three (Abu Sayyaf leaders) and other sub-commanders of the Abu Sayyaf,” he said.

When asked if the three are the potential leaders who may replace Janjalani, he said: “We cannot say right now. They can appoint anybody but one thing is sure, as I’ve said, they are going to have a difficulty for someone with the caliber of Janjalani.”

Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino, who led the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf years ago, has described Sahiron as the most senior leader of the Abu Sayyaf and who is the overall leader of the terrorist group in Sulu.

“Actually Sahiron Radullan is the overall leader in Sulu. He is also the spiritual leader of the ASG in their organization. He is the most respected man (in the ASG). If we get Sahiron, I think everything will crumble,” Tolentino said. (PNA)